Last week, Kenneth reminded me about this song by The National after we watched WARRIOR, one of those hidden gems on Netflix that make streaming worthwhile.

The song played during the final fight scene between two brothers with a history of pain and loss. Standing in stark contrast to the brutality of MMA, I think it was a bold, interesting choice for that scene.

This week’s song comes to you courtesy of Melissa, one of my favorite bloggers and readers. I LOVE all of Florence + the Machine’s music, but this is probably one of my favorites.

Thanks, Melissa!

I also need to announce the winners of the Escape Into Books Super Summer Giveaway. *cue drum roll*

The winners of a massive summer prize pack are… Nevey and Christina.

Congrats, you guys! Both winners were chosen by the RNG (Random Number Generator). Please email Rebekah at prophecypress@aol.com with your full name and mailing address and we’ll get your prize packs right out to you.

Everyone else; stay tuned for the next giveaway. And in the meantime, enjoy this week’s song!

I also received wonderful reviews from bloggers Well-read In YA, Lauren’s Crammed Bokshelf, and WTF Are You Reading (one of my favorites for it’s mention of “no wing molestation”). If you read and enjoyed A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS and reviewed it on your blog and I’ve missed you, please send an email to Rebekah at prophecypress@aol.com with a link and we’ll try to post it for you here. I truly appreciate all reviews, bloggers or otherwise.

On a related note, if you enjoyed the book and haven’t yet left a review on B&N, Amazon, etc., please do!

I spent the weekend and the Houston TeenBookCon and had SUCH A WONDERFUL time. I wish I had pictures for you guys, buy I’m an in-the-moment kind of person and rarely remember to take them. I had an amazing time, though, meeting hundreds of readers and bloggers and hanging with so many incredible authors. It was a reminder to me that while I tend to be introverted and covet my alone-time, it really is good for the soul to interact with others who share your passion, even if you have to force yourself out the door to do it. As a bonus, A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS was sold out by lunchtime, which was pretty awesome.

This week’s song was posted on my Facebook wall by my beloved Caroline when I left for Houston, It’s one of my favorites. Hope you enjoy it!

This week’s song, Within Temptation by Sinead, is brought to you by Krystal, who recommended it as a good match for A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS after watching the trailer a couple of weeks ago.

Love it!

Also, have to say that the release of a new book is always stressful. In the old days, you were lucky (or not) to read a couple of professional reviews. Now, authors are subject to reviews from every corner of the globe 24/7. This can be good. And it can suck hard. It’s totally part of the gig, and I get that, but that doesn’t mean the tough ones don’t hurt.

So far this week I’ve been fortunate to have three stellar reviews for A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS from three reviewers I’ve long admired.

I almost squealed out loud when I saw the review from Fiktshun, mostly because is having someone say, “This story was so utterly enchanting from start to finish that I did devour it in just one sitting” isn’t cause for squealing, I don’t know what is.

And then there’s The Viet Babe’s Blog review, who called TEMPTATION, “So engrossing and excellent, I couldn’t put it down.” Music to my ears!

So to these three bloggers and to all of you out there who spread the word about my work through your reviews, THANK YOU! Many of you are every bit as professional as someone who’s paid to write reviews for a living. I feel more fortunate than you know to count you among my supporters.

This week’s song comes to you by VERY popular demand. After an informal shout-out on Facebook asking for recommendations, multiple people put this one up for consideration.

Who am I to fight the majority?!

Hope you enjoy this one, Somebody That I Used To Know, by Goyte.

;

And don’t forget that the Be Tempted Ipad Giveaway is in FULL SWING. People are going hard to help me promote, but with prizes like the Ipad, signed books, Victoria’s Secret goodies, Visa gift cards, Starbucks gift cards, jewelry, bookplates for anyone who preorders, etc., I can’t say that I blame them. You should totally check out my Facebook page, if for nothing else, to see all the funny things people are doing to help get the word out. I’m dying! 😀

And it’s not too late! The giveaway runs all month, and I so appreciate your help spreading the word.

You guys… I’m SO IN LOVE with this week’s song, Free Like You Make Me by Cary Brothers. You know that feeling of elation and meloncholy and discovery that’s all wrapped into one when you discover a great new band or song?

THAT’S what Song of the Week is about, and this one nails it for me.

It was nominated by Jeannie, one of my favorite online peeps, and I feel like I owe her a huge debt of gratitude. I’m going to look up ALL the songs by this guy right now.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

And P.S. Don’t forget to come back this Thursday for the kick-off of the MASSIVE A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS GIVEAWAY. I’m ridiculously excited to tell you guys about the Grand Prize, but I also have three amazing runner-up prizes. Stay tuned…
<3

Valentine’s Day makes me happy. Life is a struggle so much of the time. Any day — Hallmark holiday or not — that gives everyone a chance to focus on love is a good thing. But today, with so much focus on romantic love, I’m making it my personal mission to remind you all to love yourself first. Love yourself truly, deeply. Love yourself in all your complexity, frailty, mistakes, and all the beautiful flaws that make you human. Love yourself wholly and know — KNOW — that it is truly the only thing that can make you whole.

The luminous Whitney Houston sang it best. What a voice she had. I’m sending you all much love tonight with this week’s song, chosen by me for all of you who send me your love every day.
<3
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I'll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all
And if, by chance, that special place
That you've been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love

Love this week’s song, nominated by one of my dearest friends, Winsome. Winsome and I have been friends since fifth grade when we would sit on her canopy bed with the curtains drawn and listen to Devo and The Knack.

How fitting that she would be the person to nominate a song! Love her to death! She’s the one who taught me how to swim in the ocean and that clam chowder always tastes better on the pier after a long day of swimming.

And I have to say that I’ve never been a huge fan of Incubus, but this is very different for them. Really like it! Thanks, Winsome!

Also want to let you guys know that for tonight only there’s a promotion on Twitter to win one of the last three A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS ARCs. All you have to do is tweet with the hashtag #atemptationofangels between now and Midnight. You can enter as many times as you like, one entry for every tweet with the hashtag.

This week’s song, Habits by Maria Mena, is brought to you by Travis who recommended last week when I did my shout out on Facebook. It’s so simple but so beautiful. Really love the piano and the woman’s voice. It reminds me a little of Allison’s in A Fine Frenzy (one of my favorites!).

Hope you guys enjoy it!

And don’t forget that the Superfan Giveaway is up and running through Friday. 50 of you will win, and this is a no strings attached giveaway. Just my way of saying thank you for all you do to support me.

Hope you guys enjoy it. And don’t forget you can still claim your free limited edition A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS bookplate and bookmark by sending a copy or photo of your preorder receipt or order confirmation to prophecypress@aol.com. This giveaway ends at the end of the month so hurryyyy!

This week’s song is brought to you by JP, a reader who recommended it last week on Facebook. I love Imogen’s sound – it’s so restful and unique – but I hadn’t heard this one before. I especially love that slightly Celtic violin piece toward the end.

Huge thanks to friend and fellow author, Rhonda Helms, for reminding me how much I love Ray LaMontagne. For some reason, this one makes me long for hot summer nights, big glasses of lemonade, and slow dancing in bare feet. Such a beautiful song, an amazing voice, and something I hope everyone of you hears or feels during your lifetime.

Also, tomorrow is the last day to request free bookplates for yourself or to give as part of an extra-special book gift. If you have a reader on your list, a personalized bookplate makes a nice touch to any of the Prophecy books. This will be the last free giveaway for Prophecy bookplates so take advantage while you can!